Kirinite?

The Amazing Virginian

The Amazing Virginian

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As we apparently are transitioning out of ivory materials, and as India appears to be chintzy with their sambar stag, I have been thinking about other kinds of knife handle materials.

I apologize in advance if I missed it, but I did a search and I could not find any threads in this forum discussing kirinite as a knife handle material for custom knives. I think it is a cool looking material - it looks better to me than micarta, G10, LSCF, etc.

Any custom knifemakers here with any experience using it? if so, what are your thoughts? I did find a knife by Mark Behnke with it, but that was it.

How about collectors/users? Anyone here use or collect knives with kirinite handles/scales? Again, what do you like or dislike about it?

I am thinking of commissioning a Loveless-style knife with kirinite scales, so I am really interested in the experiences of others here.

TIA!
 
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I have used it several times and I like the looks a lot. It is not as grippy as micarta or G10 for a using knife, but with good shaping that is easily overcome. I have never buffed it to polish, I always wet sand to 1500 and get a nice polish from that. It works a lot like a plastic or nylon or delrin from a machinist standpoint. I have not noticed any scratching from kydex sheaths either, so I assume it is at least a little tough and abrasion resistant.
 
I'm probably not a good resource for an opinion on kirinite as I use only natural materials but it seems to have a lot of the same look as the acrylics that it is supposed to replace.

One natural material that isn't used as much as it deserves to be is bone. I wasn't much of a fan of it until I started having all of my bone stabilized which not only makes it much superior as handle material to plain bone but gives it a whole new look.

3393123012_758da36dc0_z.jpg


stabilizedbone_opt_zpsf2c886b6.jpg



It gives a piece of plain looking bone a much more attractive look. I don't mean to hijack your topic on kirinite but this is a natural material material which is easily obtainable that could easily be substituted for other natural materials which are getting harder to get.

Just a thought.

Gary
 
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I use a material similar to Kirinite but made with resin and metal sheets. You can see many of my knives on my website.
 
MOBB
Mother Of Bowling Ball
:D


Cow bone, back in the old days, was often called French Ivory. Just as nickel silver was called German Silver.

I'll take the bone please.
 
Gary Mulkey said:
but it seems to have a lot of the same look as the acrylics that it is supposed to replace.
Click to expand...

I honestly think it has a cheap and gaudy mother of toilet seat look about it. Just not into it.

And Gary, that bone looks fantastic.
 
It's similar to the polyester pearls and such. I have heard that it is far tougher and less brittle than those................but it still looks just like them.

For me, the stuff looks cheap, gimmicky, fake, plastic etc. It belongs in the same category as dymondwood as far as I'm concerned. I don't like it at all.

I guess there are some patterns and colors that probably would look okay on inexpensive using knives. I don't every really see it catching on on higher end knives.

Just my opinion though. There's something out there for everyone.
 
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This is from Google:

Kirinite is an acrylic based material that is as tough as it is colorful.
It is basically a toughened acrylic with very thin colored strands of poly paper
swirled through the mix.
This creates a 3D color process through the depth of the material....

It's most amazing property is that the more it's polished the more it bonds
to one's hands. It's not slippery, making it more desirable than ever.

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
Probably should have posted a pic for those who may have never heard of it before.

fujisaka1-9.jpg


Yeah, it does have a certain "bowling ball" look. Then again, G-10 looks to me like a printed circuit board, and micarta looks like the back of some old tube radio. Personally, I am not a big fan of either one. B-o-r-i-n-g. But I will take either of those ten times out of ten over camel bone or just about any other bone I have ever seen which IMO looks like crap.

Ivory and Sambar stag appear to be going the way of the do-do bird. I personally have a wood fetish and own a bunch of wood handled knives. But wood as a knife handle material has some limitations, IMO. So I'm thinking of trying something else.
 
Thank you for adding the picture. I was pretty certain of the material you were talking about, but now know for sure. I've looked at using it for turning projects, but hadn't thought of using it on a handle for scales. I guess the "plastic" feel/look made me think people wouldn't like it.

Out of curiosity, would you mind expanding on your thoughts of using bone and why it doesn't look nice? I don't want to hijack the thread at all-I guess I'm just wondering what makes people like what they do and not like other materials. I'm curious, as well, for others opinions on the Kirinite.


Jeremy
 
I wouldn't mind the kirinite on a factory slip joint but that's about it.

Bone jigged or smooth, dyed dark or white works for me.
Then again I like paper micarta…
I guess I like plain…

Having said that, stag rules!
 
Don't have enough info to form an opinion, some kirinite, to me looks art deco.
Might look good as segments in a mammoth tooth segmented handle.

I'll also go along with ebbtide's stag comment. :)

Doug
 
Yea, I've seen several knifemakers use it....I'm not a fan. But to each, his own. I have seen some patterns that look good with it. Can't think of any right now. But I'm sure there are some. I've seen'em:thumbdn:
 
Josh Mason said:
I honestly think it has a cheap and gaudy mother of toilet seat look about it. Just not into it.

And Gary, that bone looks fantastic.
Click to expand...

This is my opinion as well.

The only blingy synthetic handle material I care for is thunderstorm kevlar.
 
Hi, Jeremy.

I do not think that bone exhibits much depth, dimensionality, or variance from article to article. And I think it is a bad combination of cheap and boring. Kind of morbid, too. Kirinite is also cheap, but not boring. Or morbid. And it seems to exhibit depth and variance from article to article.

I am not a fan of dyed stag either - and even less a fan of dyed wood. At least something like kirinite "knows" that it's artificial. Dyed stag and dyed wood are dishonest about it - artificial materials masquerading as natural.

In the end it is all a matter of personal taste, right? And when it comes down to that, folks just like what they like, I guess.

Not sure I answered your questions . . . but not sure that I can, any better than that.
 
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